Dakine X-Lace Footstraps
I ordered the Dakine X-Lace footstraps to put on my wife's Kona Surf. The stock Exocet footstraps are not adjustable once they are screwed onto the board. My son and I also plan on using the board, so we will need to frequently adjust the footstraps. When cold weather hits, we will be wearing booties, which is also going to require footstrap adjustment. I have used the multi-layer velcro straps on my other boards, but for a more frequent adjustment, I thought the Dakine X-Lace straps would be a much better choice. For those of you who want to see the "guts" of the straps, I have taken some detailed pics.
New Board: 2008 RRD X-Fire 145 LTD Edition
Yesterday I received my new board for light wind speed sailing, the 2008 RRD X-Fire 145. Isthmus Sailboards had the last of these boards on sale for $999. That was a price I just couldn't pass up. I've been looking for a medium volume board for light wind free-race sailing, notably the 2009 RRD X-Fire 135. That board is priced at nearly twice the price at $1899. Now, last years board can't be all that bad compared to this year. Sure, the manufacturers say that every year their boards plane earlier, go faster, and jibe better than the year before. But who are they kidding? Looking at the 2009 with its shorter length and wider tail, it looks more like a formula board than a slalom board. It may in fact plane earlier, but is it worth $900 more? I don't think so.
Abducted by Aliens?
This last Saturday I went kayaking with a friend for three hours on Clinton Lake. We put in at the Weldon Access and kayaked up to the Northeast end of the lake. That evening I noticed a pain in my right arm. I also had what looked like a knot from a bump to the arm. I wrote it off as a muscle/tendon injury, and took a few ibuprofen. Today, after no improvement for several days, I went to the doctor. After being somewhat concerned with the amount of swelling, the Doc sent me off for an X-ray, expecting some sort of stress fracture. After returning home I received a call from the Doc. He wanted to let me know that nothing was broken but "Something kind of odd showed up." It seems there is some sort of foreign metal object in my arm. I looked at the skin in that area, and I didn't see any scars, nor do I remember having any injury to that area that involved metal objects. I now think I've been abducted by aliens while I was sleeping and implanted with some sort of probe. Come to think of it, I have been sleeping kinda rough lately. This could be my big break! I'll be on the front page of all the grocery store tabloids. The money is going to be rolling in. Keep your eye out for me at your next visit to your local grocer.